Murder Between the Covers by Elaine Viets Read Free Book Online

manager. “I’m not letting him take advantage of another woman,” she said. “He lies. He lies to them all and gets away with it because he’s the great Page Turner.”
    Melanie came tripping up to the cash register in her clear plastic heels. “I want to order two more copies of my book.”
    “It will take two to five weeks,” Helen said. If she was lucky. UBookIt was as slow as it was crooked.
    “My baby is worth waiting for,” Melanie said. “Where’s the ladies’ room?” Helen pointed over by the exit sign. Melanie headed in that direction, fluffing her hair.
    “I’m going to have a chat with her,” Gayle said. “Wait two minutes and follow me in.”
    Helen did. The white-tiled bathroom stank of peppermint disinfectant and old diapers. Someone had left a half-empty latte on the sink and a Bride’s magazine by the toilet.
    She heard Gayle saying, “Yes, he did. He was dating this woman while he was engaged to his current wife. She read about his engagement in the newspaper, came running in here, and threatened to kill him. He humiliated her. Ask anyone who’s worked here awhile. They’ll tell you. She wasn’t the first—or the last. You’re just one in a long line.”
    “No!” Melanie said. “Mr. Turner said I had talent. He said he would give me a signing.”
    “No, he said he would try. Next he’ll say he tried, but your books weren’t available from the distributor. And they won’t be, because they’re print-on-demand. Page Turners never has signings for POD authors.”
    “But he said he’d get Mr. Plank to endorse my book,” Melanie said, and Helen heard her awful desperation.
    “Yeah, you’ll get a blurb,” Gayle said. “If you get out your knee pads. You know what Burt Plank’s last blurb said? ‘Good is not the word for this book.’ You want that on your cover?”
    “It’s not true. You’re just a jealous old dyke.”
    Helen spoke up then. “It is true,” she said. “Ask Mr. Turner to set a date for your signing. I’ll bet my next paycheck that’s when he says your books are not available.”
    “You’re lying. Both of you.” Melanie was almost sobbing now. “Mr. Turner is an honorable man. I’ll prove you wrong. I’m going up there right now and ask him.”
    “While you’re in there, ask to see his videos,” Gayle said. “He keeps them in a locked cabinet by the couch. I bet you’ve already starred in one. He watches them with his buddy Burt Plank. That way Burt can preview the coming attraction.”
    “Mr. Turner would never do that.”
    “There’s a camera hidden in the vent over the couch,” Gayle said. “Check it out next time you’re on your back.”
    That was nasty. Helen thought it was Gayle’s payback for the “jealous old dyke” remark.
    Melanie flounced up the stairs to Page’s office. She was back down in ten minutes, cheeks flaming, blond hair flying every which way. She didn’t say anything to Helen or Gayle as she walked through the store, head high.
    “There goes another fool,” Brad said when she passed
    his register. Melanie’s head snapped back as though she’d been lashed, and her cheeks grew redder. She’d heard him.
    Helen wished Brad had not said that. But even more, she wished Page Turner had not taken advantage of Melanie.
    “That son of a bitch,” Helen said.
    “I wish Page Turner was dead,” Gayle said. Helen looked at Gayle, her face white with rage, and wondered how Page had hurt her.
    At midnight the store closed and the staff chased out the last customers. Page Turners was a mess. Helen opened the women’s rest room and groaned. The stalls, mirror, and sink were draped in toilet paper. Even the waste can was decorated. More paper crisscrossed the floor. Worse, it was wet.
    “What’s wrong?” Gayle said.
    “We’ve been TP’d. Wet TP. I just hope they used water.”
    “Oh, gross.”
    It took the two women an hour to clean it up, and they still had to put the store in order. Stray books were piled